


Orpheus had the right idea, just the wrong band.

by luxshine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Crack, M/M, Many other characters appear, Mariachi!Dean, Supportive!Sam, The Shadow only wants to sleep, Undiluted, angel!dean, but with a bit of seriousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luxshine/pseuds/luxshine
Summary: After Chuck was defeated, Dean was not going to just forget about his Angel or his confession. And if the Shadow wanted to sleep? Well, they could try to sleep through a full blown Serenade, Mexican-style.Dean was going to get Castiel, and nothing on Earth, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory or the Empty was going to stop him.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	Orpheus had the right idea, just the wrong band.

The Empty was not really empty. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of demons and angels sleeping with in it, which made the Shadow uneasy. They had never stopped to consider what would happen if one woke up, or what it meant for the Empty to be that full, not until that damned noisy angel had done the unthinkable and woken up with all the noisy thoughts and words.

But the angel was asleep now too, he had fulfilled their deal and the Empty was silent again. Not Empty, but Silent. And that was ok with the Shadow, even if now they had a bit of a conflict because how could they be the Empty if it wasn’t Empty. And was it Empty even if They were the only ones there?

This was all the Angel’s fault. He had woken the Shadow and now the Shadow had a headache, an existential crisis and all they wanted to do is sleep.

They were starting to fall asleep again, when suddenly a strange portal opened up, filling the empty that was not empty with light. The Shadow was up in a second, and was about to shriek that they were tired of angels and demons and rifts when something even worse happened.

From the rift, there came a noise the Shadow had never heard before. They knew it was what humans called “violins” and “string instruments” by the memories of the creatures sleeping within their realm, but they had never actually know what kind of noise it made.

It was noisy, and loud, but despite themselves, the Shadow had to admit… it was beautiful in a “If I didn’t want to sleep right now, I’d appreciate it” sort of way.

They could see through the rift about a hundred of human figures, all dressed in black with big hats and a myriad of instruments, playing. They were the cause of the noise (music) and while the Shadow wanted to silence them all, they couldn’t. The Shadow power was limited to demons and angels, they couldn’t really touch humans. Humans, fortunately, couldn’t enter the Empty either so it was just a matter of finding out how to close that damned portal.

Except it got worse. One figure, this one all dressed in the same manner, but in complete white with gold accents, started walking forward. Power shone from this figure, and the Empty knew it wasn’t human. It was a New Angel, one that wasn’t in the list that annoying light called Chuck had given them.

An angel with bright green eyes, dressed in white that was even louder than the music behind him as he got to the portal and started to sing.

* * *

**Earth, a week earlier.**

“That’s a load of crap,” Dean said as soon as Jack finished his speech about being in everyplace at once and becoming hands off so he wouldn’t repeat Chuck’s mistakes. Sam blinked fast, confused as how his brother couldn’t just keep his mouth shut in front of the new God. Sure, Chuck had never deserved their respect but Jack… Jack was different. And God now.

“I’m sorry?” Jack frowned and tilted his head. It was a lot more unnerving now than before, and it reminded Sam a bit of when Jack had just been born, before they knew the kid wasn’t as evil as his biological dad. “Dean… I just want to…”

“Whatever you want to do, you can do it after you help us get Cas back,” Dean replied, and the penny dropped in Sam’s head. Of course it was Cas. The only other person in the world besides Sam himself who could make his brother lose all perspective in order to save them. Sometimes, Sam thought that Dean would go even farther to save Castiel than to save him. And he was not jealous about that. Not at all. “And bring everyone who died in Chuck’s stupid story too. You want to be different from him? Then start by not bailing on creation just like he did at first!”

And ok, Dean had a point, Sam admitted in his head. But he could’ve said it in a nicer way.

“I can’t bring Father back, Dean,” Jack looked down sadly, looking again like the lost three-year old in a 19 something year-old body that he really was. “He… he made a deal with the Empty to save me, and I don’t know how it would react if I break it. It wasn’t a fan of Chuck either.”

“So you’re just going to let Cas suffer?” Dean yelled, getting angry. Behind them, Chuck whimpered and Sam wondered if they should keep this argument somewhere else. If Chuck offered a way to get Cas back now… given how angry Dean was at Jack… Sam wasn’t sure how his brother would react. “After all he did for u… for you?”

Jack’s eyes started to water, and Sam felt incredibly bad for the young new god. He may have all that power, and for a second the young man had sounded as if he was wiser beyond his years. But he was just a kid, a kid who now had to shoulder all of creation alone.

No, Sam reconsidered. Not alone. That was probably what Dean was trying to get across, even if his methods were questionable. They all were family, and Jack could be hands off as God… but that didn’t mean he stopped being Jack.

“I… I can’t go into the Empty. It would kill Father just to spite me… Or worse,” Jack finally said. “And you can’t either. No human can.”

“I could…” Chuck tried to start saying, but Sam kicked him to make him shut up. They weren’t going to kill him, but that didn’t mean they had to listen to him.

“We just beat God,” Dean ignored Chuck, and Sam thanked, well, Jack, for small favors. His brother just went right to the former nephelim and held his face on his hands. “We did that, together. You, Sam and I, because Cas gave us a chance. So… Give us a chance kid. Let’s go back to the bunker, you can tell us all you know about this Empty, and then we make a plan. Like we always do.”

Jack didn’t answer for a long time, and Sam started to worry again. But the kid finally looked up and now, despite the tears, he was smiling.

“You’re right, Dean. I was being foolish. Let’s go home.”

* * *

**The Empty, Now.**

_I am still here, despite the bad,_

_Of that dark past,_

_I am still next to you_

The angel’s voice was grave, and it sounded as if it was not used to sound so rhythmical. But it melded perfectly with the instruments as he kept singing in a language the Shadow knew was called Spanish.

It was loud, which automatically made it bad. But it was worse because the Shadow could feel that, within the Empty, something… SOMEONE… was stirring at the voice.

_I am still here, hugging our relationship_

_This intense love_

_That doesn’t know how to die_

One of the old angels was reacting to the voice. Not just “one” but “THE” one. The one that had taught the Shadow what it meant to be annoyed, to feel like control was slipping out of their hands and made history by being the first being the Shadow had wanted OUT, away from their realm and to never come back.

The one They had taken back just to get revenge, and still had managed to go back to sleep with a smile on his face no matter how much the Shadow tortured him with images of his failure.

“Shut up!” The Shadow yelled at the new Angel, who was now smiling as he sang. As if he knew who his voice was reaching. And behind him, the humans who were beyond their reach, kept playing and singing along, making the noise louder, stronger.

The Shadow started to feel a new emotion they had never felt before. A cold stirring in the part that, had they been human, would’ve called their stomach.

Fear

_I have cried so more_

_Than the heavens,_

_Tears of pain_

_I have reached my end so many times_

_Fighting for your love._

The Shadow could feel the Sleeping Angel’s consciousness fighting to wake up as the new Angel stepped into the Portal. Into THEIR realm, smiling and shining as if he wasn’t afraid of the Shadow’s power.

As if it knew the Shadow wouldn’t be able to hurt him as long as the loud noise broke their concentration, their beautiful silence. And damn the new Angel, he was right. But the Shadow knew how to fight too, they sent a wave of power towards the waking angel, to make him go back into slumber, into his most terrifying and painful memory.

Ironically, the memory that tortured the noisy, annoying old angel the most was of him killing the new angel. And now, belatedly, the Shadow realized who this new angel was: It was the former human named Dean Winchester. The annoying angel Castiel’s happiness in the flesh, walking into the Empty as an angel instead of as a human hunter.

The cause of many, many of the inhabitants in the Shadow’s realm, the nightmare of many of the demons and angels that slept within the Empty.

And now, Fear gave way to a newer, stronger emotion.

Terror

“SHUT UP!”

The new angel, no, the former human, stopped in front of the Shadow, who now looked like a tiny blonde woman with short hair. Meg master’s first vessel, the Shadow knew. A demon who had hurt Dean, long before he met the sleeping angel.

A demon whose regrets also swirled around Dean Winchester, albeit in a different way to the way Castiel’s did.

“We will,” Dean Winchester said, smirking at them as the humans kept singing behind the portal. Trumpets had been added now, and the song grow louder even without Dean’s voice leading it. “When you give me what I want.”

* * *

**Earth, the Men of Letter’s Bunker. A week earlier.**

”You must hate me, Castiel made his deal with the Empty to save me,” Jack said as he finished explaining to the brothers what had happened when he had exploded, and what Castiel had done. Sam was still sure he was missing part of the story, namely, what had Castiel said to Dean when they were chased by Billie, in order to fulfill the deal. But every time he tried to ask, Dean interrupted him with another question of his own.

“I was angry, yes,” Dean admitted. Then again, Sam hoped his brother wouldn’t try to lie to Jack now that Jack was God. “But not at you, or at Cas. And it doesn’t matter anymore. We get him out, and from now on, no more deals.”

“The Empty won’t let Castiel go without a fight,” Jack shook his head. “And humans can’t go into it. Nor can I, or I would break the balance. Aunt Amara says…”

“You should let her out of you,” Dean interrupted again. “She was tricked by Chuck… and given how angry she got after all the time she was locked up, you don’t want to deal with her a millennia down the line.”

Jack nodded, but soon he was frowning, as if listening to someone else. Sam figured he probably was.

“She says one problem at a time, that you get Castiel out first, then she and I can deal with heaven.”

“Ok, so, you say no human can go to the Empty,” Sam said, hoping Dean wouldn’t try to stop him from asking questions if he kept away from the subject of Castiel’s true happiness. “So, what can go into it?”

“Only Demons, Angels and horsemen,” Jack said sadly. “And I don’t think anyone will volunteer to help since…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we have a plan,” Dean growled and Sam sighed. He had a feeling his brother was planning something stupid, like going back to be a Knight of Hell. With Amara trapped, Jack could theoretically create a Mark of Cain. Or maybe they’d find a spell in the Bunker. While he now suspected that about half their luck finding just the right spell every time was Chuck being lazy and writing them Deus ex Machina, the library was still incredibly vast. “I figure we can’t just go guns blazing, since nothing on Earth would hurt it, right? So what do they want?”

Jack tilted his head, blinking.

“The Shadow said… they wanted to sleep. That I made it too loud.”

To Sam’s surprise, Dean smiled.

“That’s what they want, uh?” Dean chuckled. “Then I have a plan. How good is your Spanish, kid?”

* * *

**The Empty, Now.**

  
“You want the annoying angel?” The Shadow narrowed their eyes as Dean smiled. The noise from the mariachi kept going, as they had now started a new song. And, from the looks of the portal, another big group had joined in. And onlookers were singing too.

It was the Shadow’s biggest nightmare.

“For starters, yes,” Dean said, as he extended his arms. Oh, how the Shadow hated all dealings with those outside the Empty. They all wanted something from them, and never let them sleep in peace. “But we also want to make sure no one bothers you ever again.”

The Shadow blinked, confused. No one had ever cared for what they wanted. From the moment that the Light and Darkness had been created in that horrible explosion filled with noise and light, all contact with the realm of the Empty had been to know what they could take from the Shadow. From the promise to keep Demons and Angels asleep, to giving them back, to getting them inside again… it was all taking, no giving.

And this creature, this new angel who had been human according to the memories of so many sleepers… wanted to Help them? To help the Shadow to have their long wished for peace?

“What do you mean?” The Shadow asked, suspicious.

“Give us back the angels and demons, make the Empty, well, Empty again,” Dean explained. “That way, no one ever will want to come here again, and you will be able to sleep for all eternity.”

“You want everyone? That’s just greedy, Angel,” the Shadow rolled their eyes. “And besides, I am no fool. As soon as you they get killed, they’d be back again and someone would want them and I’d get disturbed. That doesn’t help me at all.”

“I dunno if you heard, but we’re under new management,” Dean shrugged, and someone waved from the portal. The loud nephelim that had woken up every sleeper in the Empty. The Shadow frowned, but at least the nephelim –who now seemed far more powerful than before – didn’t try to come inside. “We have a new system to deal with dead angels and demons that won’t involve you. So even if we have another apocalypse, no one will bother your sleep.”

The Shadow blinked, confused. And then blinked again, as a new feeling came to be known within their frame.

For the first time in Eternity, the Shadow knew hope.

* * *

**Earth. Men of Letter’s bunker, a week before.**

“Dean, no, that’s the worst plan possible!” Sam protested, as Jack looked at Dean, tilting his head in confusion.

“Why? The Shadow wants quiet, no? The best thing we can offer them so they will give us back Cas without a fight is to make sure they get that quiet and Purgatory is as good a place to put every demon and angel we’ve ganked!” Dean crossed his arms, glaring at his brother. He knew, deep down, that that part of the plan was not what Sam was really objecting to, but he wasn’t ready to explain his reasons for the other part. At the very least, Jack seemed to agree with Dean. And if he had the new God’s back up, Dean could handle Sam’s bitchface.

“I dunno, the fact that we’ve gone to Purgatory and escaped before?” Sam pointed out. “You’re that eager to see Zachariah, or worse, Alastair back upstairs?”

Dean glared at Sam for daring to bring those two. While he no longer had nightmares of what Alastair had done to him, of what Alastair had made him do, the memories were still fresh. But this was for Cas, and Dean was not going to let something as silly as a nightmare to stop him from saving his angel. Besides, it had been almost eleven years since he had last seen Alastair and he was pretty sure that now, he could face that demon without Sam as backup.

Zachariah? The slimy toad would probably be the first one to try to kiss Jack’s ass now that he was God.

“Monsters try to escape Purgatory because there’s no exit. My plan includes the idea that they can leave Purgatory… if they’re willing to be reborn as humans. That would include demons and angels.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Jack piped in, after a long time of consideration. “Castiel would like it too, because it would mean… no one is beyond redemption. Everyone gets a second chance, if they want to work for it.”

“And some of them died helping us, Sam,” Dean said, slowly. Sure, his main goal was to get Castiel back. He was willing to go and gank the Shadow if it was necessary to get Cas back. But he had learned now that going guns first, questions later, was not precisely the best approach, and there were others who would also be good to have back. “Crowley, Meg, Gabriel, Anna, Tess… you want to leave them all suffering for eternity?”

“No, of course not but… “ Sam looked straight into Dean’s eyes, and Dean internally winced, getting ready to fight. “That doesn’t mean you have to get turned into an angel to do that.”

“Well, Jack can’t go into the Empty, and humans can’t either, so it’s either this, or becoming a demon and last time I did that, I almost killed you so I figured you’d prefer me going the other way,” Dean tried to make it into a joke, but came out far more aggressive than he expected. Alastair was old news, but his time as Crowley’s Knight wasn’t. He still remembered how he felt then, free and unbothered by morality.

“We can try to find another way! We’ve found many spells in the Men of Letters’ Bunkers, maybe there’s one to allow humans into…” Sam insisted, but Dean was too tired to let him go on. He was itching to get to Cas, and he knew that even if everyone agreed with his plan, even if Jack turned him into an angel right there and then? They still would need to wait, to make sure everything else in his plan was ready.

“And while you do that, Cas is suffering,” Dean shook his head. “I’m doing this, and if you don’t agree, you can wait until we come back or make your bags and go to Eileen. But you’re not stopping me.”

“Why are you so eager to throw away your humanity, Dean?” Sam yelled, now angry. “After what happened with Michael… “

“Because it’s Cas, Sam!” Dean defended himself. “How many times did he threw away his grace for us? For me? If he did that… I can do the same for him. And at least, if Jack is making me an angel, I know he’ll leave me being me. You’d do the same for Eileen!”

“Yeah, but I love…” Sam stopped himself at the middle of the sentence, as if he was finally figuring things out. He looked at Dean, who simply shrugged and looked away. He knew what Sam was thinking, but Dean wasn’t ready to confirm his brother’s suspicions. Not because he didn’t love Cas, but because he wanted his angel to be the first one to hear him say the words.

After all that had happened, Cas deserved it.

“Ok. I get it,” Sam finally said, shaking his head. It didn’t seem as if he was very convinced, but at least he was no longer yelling at Dean. “So… what do I do in this plan of yours while you go and fly into the Empty?”

* * *

**The Empty, Now.**

“Let me repeat the terms of our deal…” The Shadow began, when Dean raised his hand to stop them.

“Arrangement.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A Deal can be broken, and it sort of implies that one party gets more than the other,” Dean shrugged. “An arrangement is more equal, and in the future, if you want, we can renegotiate.”

“I don't want to see any of you ever again!” The Shadow replied, offended. Behind the Portal, the Mariachi were now about two hundred, and were playing something about Eyes coming down a Mountain, and someone wanting a mole that was over someone else’s lips. It made no sense, and it was making them testy.

“That’s the plan, if you’re not working your realm as the Afterlife for angels and demons, we have no reason to bother you,” the new angel frowned, confused. “How does it work, by the way? How can this be the Empty if it’s full of dead angels and demons?”

“Don’t ask that.” The Shadow growled, because they had already had an existential crisis over that. “Recapping our agreement… I let every demon and angel out into this realm you call Purgatory, and no one else will ever open a portal to my Realm? You will never bother me again?”

“Unless you call for help, yes. And not every demon and angel goes to Purgatory. Cas comes with me.” Dean smiled at the Shadow, making the Shadow feel something… different. They were starting to understand why the annoying noisy angel liked this former human. “And as I said before, no other angel or demon dying will ever come here. We will make sure of that with either the new Death or the Old Death if he wants his job back.”

Ah, yes. The First Death. The old being was sleeping currently somewhere in the realm. Which brought one little problem to the Shadow.

“I can send everyone who is currently sleeping to this Purgatory realm,” The Shadow said, carefully. Dealing with Dean Winchester was very different from dealing with the Light. For once… the Shadow actually believed Dean was not trying to manipulate them. “But if you want me to spare Castiel… you will have to find him. I… I am not exactly sure where I put him to sleep.”

And that was the truth. The Shadow had originally been very keen on keeping an eye on their prize. Torturing Castiel for all the damage he had done to the Empty was their goal, after all. But Castiel, damn him, was actually happy. The Empty hadn’t been able to take that away from him, and unlike everyone else who was relieving their regrets in their dreams, Castiel just dreamed of peace and calm at Dean Winchester’s side. It was unnerving, so the Shadow had left him alone and… well, it wasn’t as if the Empty had any way to identify a place from another.

“I can find him,” Dean said, with absolute confidence. “If you don’t mind me singing a bit more.”

The Shadow did not whine. They were an ancient, eldritch being that had seen many universes be born and die. They did not whine.

“And then you will leave me to sleep?”

“I promise. In fact,” Dean threw a small box to them. “Here. This helps me when I can’t have my four hours a night.”

The Shadow caught the box, but didn’t open it. They were not that sure they trusted Dean Winchester that much.

“Fine, sing one more song. But when you’re done, I’m throwing you out that portal and everyone not in your arms to Purgatory and you better fulfill your part of the d… the arrangement!”

Dean Winchester smiled again, and this time, his smile was so bright that the Empty was, for a moment, covered in white rather than the black void it really was. And now, the Shadow understood perfectly why so many of their prisoners dreamed of this being.

* * *

Dean looked back at the portal where the mariachi from Garibaldi Plaza were finishing their amazing rendition of Cielito Lindo. Sam hadn’t been that sure of the plan, not even after understanding why Dean needed to do this, but the Mariachi had only needed to hear that they were going to serenade their way to save his love from a fate worse than death, and they had immediately volunteered to play for as long as it was necessary.

Spanish was really the language of love.

“Guys, one more! You guys know _Contigo Aprendi_?“ He asked in perfect Spanish that was not a result of his new angelic upgrade, but of years of practicing the language to be able to communicate with the local hunters whenever he was south the border alone, and learning the language to impress dates.

“Sure, _Guerito_!” The leader of the main band, a fat man with a great talent for the trumpet yelled back. “ _A darle_!”

The violins started again, and Dean took a deep breath. This was it. He touched his left shoulder, feeling the warmth of the handprint under his mariachi jacket that had, against all odds, returned a little after Chuck was defeated.

He and Cas had a profound bond. Cas was his missing half. And Dean was not going to let him go ever again.

Yes, the Empty was just a black void, with no distinguishing features, not even a way to know where was the floor and where was the sky. The only direction Dean had at the moment was the portal that Jack kept open. But it didn’t matter. He knew his heart would guide him to where Castiel slept, and his voice would wake his angel up. And so, he started to sing.

_I learned with you_

_That there are new and better emotions,_

_I learned with you,_

_To explore a new world made of illusions,_

As he sang, he let his feet guide him, not really thinking of the direction they were taking. As he did, the warmth in his arm grew, and he knew he was close to Cas.

_I learned_

_That the week has more than seven days,_

_To make my few joys even greater,_

_And to be truly happy, that I learned with you,_

The darkness started to recede, and Dean finally saw Cas, asleep and still half covered with whatever that was the Empty. His eyes were closed and his mouth curved in a small smile. At least, it didn’t look as if he had been suffering a nightmare, and for that Dean was grateful as he kneeled down and kept singing.

_I learned with you,_

_To see the light on the other side of the moon,_

_I learned with you,_

_That your presence is second to none for me,_

Cas frowned a little as if he was waking up, so Dean decided he wasn’t going to wait more and took his angel into his arms, carrying him bridal style as he got up and turned around. The Shadow glared at them near the door, and Dean knew he had to wake his angel soon.

_I learned,_

_That a kiss can be sweeter and deeper,_

_That I can go tomorrow from this world,_

_As the good things, I already lived them with you,_

“Dean?” Cas opened is eyes, confused as they were almost at the portal. “What… what did you do?”

“Morning, Sunshine,” Dean said, and since he had always been better at actions than at words, at least when Cas was concerned, he closed the distance between them in a kiss, at the same time that he crossed the Portal out of the empty, and the mariachi finished the song.

_And with you I learned,_

_That I was born the day I met you._

* * *

**Earth, Now.**

Castiel blinked, confused, as Dean broke their kiss and a huge cheer erupted from the hundreds of Mexicans around them as the portal to the Empty closed. He knew he was awake: in the Empty, he was only allowed to dream of things that had happened and he was pretty sure that Dean had never kissed him while dressed as a mariachi and shining with grace more powerful than an Archangel.

He had dreamed with Dean dressed as a mariachi, yes, but it had been when he had been human and as far as Castiel knew, only Metatron knew about that.

But he couldn’t be awake. The Shadow had been very clear on their deal: No take backs. No return. And Castiel knew very well that Dean could never love him so…

“Hey, that’s not true,” Dean spoke as if he knew what Castiel was thinking, which was possible considering that Dean seemed to be an angel now. But before Castiel could ask what was going on a different voice cut through the cheers.

“DAD!” Jack was right next to them, and as Dean let Castiel down, the young nephelim hugged Castiel tight, as if he was afraid that Castiel would leave. It was only then that Castiel realized Dean was not the only one who was far more powerful than the last time they had met. Now Jack was brimming with power and warmth, at a level that Castiel had only felt when…

He looked at Dean, while returning Jack’s embrace.

“I take it that you found a way to beat Chuck?” He said, trying to sound calm despite the fact that his vessel’s heart was beating a mile a minute. They were alive, he was out of the empty, and Dean had kissed him.

Dean had _kissed_ him.

“We sure did, Cas,” Dean smiled at him. “But we couldn’t have done it without you so…”

“And you’re an angel now?” Castiel squinted, confused.

“It was the only way to get you out of the Empty,” Dean shrugged, the Mariachi were now starting to disperse, but a couple of them still gave Dean a thumbs up, and one muttered something about “el _guero_ ” knowing how to sing.

“I’m sorry you had to be there in the first place,” Jack said, sounding sad. His hug was starting to loosen a bit, but Castiel knew that the young man was still shaken by everything that had happened, and whatever Castiel missed while being inside the Empty. “It was my fault.”

“Now Jack, we talked about that,” Dean didn’t sound angry, which was unexpected. In Castiel’s experience, Dean never liked it when someone in the group made deals behind his back. “You’re a Winchester, so that means someone will make a dumb deal to get you out of trouble sooner or later. Comes with the name.”

“So… what dumb deal you made to get me out, Dean?” Castiel asked, worried. Not about his confession before the Shadow took him, as Dean’s kiss back there, and the fact that the former human was not letting go of his hand, while his grace caressed Castiel’s invisible wings, made quite clear that Castiel had completely misinterpreted Dean’s feelings.

He could have what he had always wanted, if only he had asked before making his own dumb deal to save Jack.

“No more deals, I promise,” Dean beamed at him. “But that’s a conversation to have back at home. Jack? Want to do the honors and show Cas your new powers?”

Jack smiled brightly and snapped his fingers. And just like that, they were back in the bunker.

* * *

“Cas!” Sam smiled as he saw Cas, Dean and Jack appear in the Bunker’s dinning room, trying hard not to comment on Dean’s clothes. Biting his lips not to, actually, but his companions weren’t that generous.

“Nice duds, brother. Did they come with the upgrade Sam said you got?” Benny LaFitte grinned, as he took a swig of a beer. The vampire hadn’t been too keen on returning to Earth at first, but Sam had apologized for his actions before, and swore they could make him human again so he had finally agreed. Sam wasn’t sure they could do what he promised, but he guessed that between the Men of Letter’s library, Rowena’s sources and Jack’s powers, something could be done.

“Personally, I think you’d look better back in black, Squirrel,” Crowley on the other hand, had been first in line to return when he heard the new Purgatory rules and that he and only a bunch of others had a chance to skip the line and go back to Earth without having to go through birth after cleansing their sins. His only comment had been ‘What took you so long, Moose?’, and Sam had to admit, he had missed Crowley. And he had died for them so, yeah, he deserved a second chance.

“Aww, I see you found your Unicorn, Clarence,” And there was Meg, wearing a perfect copy of her second meatsuit. She had also jumped at the chance to come back, and had even apologized to Sam for all the hurt she had caused. Sam still wasn't sure if that apology had been sincere, but he had taken it. New beginnings implied a new page turned.

“Glad to see you all too,” Dean greeted them, shaking his head. But Sam noticed that he was still holding Castiel’s hand. Apparently, they had finally gotten their head out of their butts. Hopefully, it would mean less awkwardness at hunts, not more. He was tired of being the third wheel when his brother wasn’t aware that he was dating his equally oblivious boyfriend. “Sam? Where are the angels and reapers?”

“Gabriel, Balthazar and Samandriel are back in Heaven, they said they needed a bit of a break from Earth,” Sam answered, not wanting to go yet into details on how they had helped him to avoid the demons who didn’t like the idea of having to earn redemption in Purgatory. “Metatron and Anna choose to be reborn as humans, so, well, we sent them on their way. Tessa, Billie and the First Death went to the veil to make sure everyone still stuck there went where they were supposed to go, and uhm… Death said to tell you there were no hard feelings, but he expected you to make him tamales again as an apology. They also said they would let Kevin and Charlie come back to life, to make up for… well…. Everything.”

Before Dean could reply, Castiel interrupted.

“You defeated Chuck… who is in charge of all these changes?” The angel asked, squinting. Apparently, no one had told him everything that was going on. Sam chuckled a bit. Knowing Dean? He had probably gone straight to the kissing and hadn’t even told Cas he loved him.

But then, Dean had always been a lot better with actions than with words.

“That's a bit of a long story, Cas,” Sam said as Miracle came bouncing out of the rooms to start begging Dean to pet her, followed by Eileen who had been taking care of her while they went and rearranged the cosmic mess Chuck had left them. “But… I think now we have time to explain it all.”

And yes, now they did.

* * *

**The Empty, Now.**

It was finally quiet.

There was no constant humming or snoring, or even that annoying buzz that sometimes permeated the edges of the Empty where it touched the Light’s realm.

The Shadow knew absolute silence for the first time since the horrible Big Bang. The freckled angel had kept his promise, even after annoying them so much with that serenade.

The Shadow closed their eyes, and metaphorically lay down to sleep. There was quiet, there was peace, and now they could sleep.

Except… they _couldn’t_.

They tossed and turned. Opened their eyes again. Closed them.

Counted sheep, because they knew that sometimes helped mortals and demons. But by the time they got to imaginary numbers, they had started wondering where would someone keep so many sheep, and they were awake.

Fully awake, as if the annoying angel and the serenade were still ringing.

But there was no annoying angel, nor music or snoring or screams of pain. The Empty was silent, and empty except for the Shadow, as it had been on the beginning.

So why couldn’t they _Sleep_?!

Part of their consciousness wanted to blame the angel. To think they had lied, made something to cheat. But they knew it was not the case. The angel had been truthful and took away all the noise. All the annoyances, so that the Shadow could rest.

But they still _Couldn’t_. **Sleep**.

After another bout of tossing and turning, and wishing themselves a glass of warm milk, and counting even more sheep to the point that parts of the inky Empty were starting to look like actual sheep, the Shadow remembered the box the Angel had given them.

The box that theoretically contained something that would make them sleep.

They opened it cautiously, to find a pink gadget that they knew was an iPhone thanks to the memories of their former captives and a note inside. The note read:

“ _Hey, I know it sounds counterintuitive, but when I can’t sleep, sometimes white noise helps. So I added a playlist of whale songs, waves, forest and stuff that may help you and magiked the iPhone so it won’t ever run out of power. It also has my number if you need help or just want to yell at someone until you get tired. Good rest, and thank you,_

 _Dean Winchester_ ”

The Shadow blinked, really confused. Noise? Was the angel mocking them?

But they had tried everything, so they thought they could try one more thing before invading Heaven to demand they put them back to sleep. Curious, they took human form, and touched the button that read “Distant Ocean Surf” and soon the Empty was filled with precisely that, the rhythmic sounds of what the Shadow knew was water reaching the earth, then retreating again.

It was different from the noise they had always heard. Constant and repeating, but calming.

In their borrowed form, the Shadow yawned. Metaphorically, they laid back down again, and yawned again before closing their eyes.

And soon, for the first time in years…

The Shadow finally…

Fell _asleep_.

**Author's Note:**

> Second One-shot I manage not during a challenge! And of course, this was inspired by the fact that Guillermo Rojas, Mexican Dean's VA for THAT scene in 15x18, said that Dean was the perfect man, and the perfect man was in love with Castiel. 
> 
> First my hand slipped and I made some art (hopefully linked in the story), then... Well, it slipped a bit more and I wrote this. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Songs sung were 
> 
> Incondicional (Not LA Incondicional, just Incondicional) and Contigo Aprendi (I learned with you). 
> 
> The song about eyes coming down a mountain is Cielito Lindo


End file.
